AbstractTurmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) is an herbal medicine which is traditionally
used as a spice, food colouring or flavouring agent and widely used for several
diseases such as biliary disorders, cough, hepatic disorders, rheumatism, wound
healing, sinusitis, diabetes, cardiac disorders and neurological disorder. It
belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. Turmeric is a popular domicile
remedy used in Indian food, is mainly a native of south-east Asia, is widely
cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, Jamaica , Peru, Haiti and
Taiwan and it is very less expensive. Curcumin is the main principle of
turmeric. Curcumin has shown various biological properties pre-clinically and
clinically. Curcumin is a highly pleiotropic molecule which can be modulators of
various intracellular signalling pathways that maintain cell growth. It has been
reported as anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, antioxidant, wound healing,
anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer and anti-arthritis and possesses an excellent safety
profile. All previous review articles on curcumin have collected the
biological/pharmacological activities but this review article summarises
the most interesting in vitro and in vivo studies of curcumin on most running
diseases around the whole world.